Mullahs in Afghanistan criticised the US forces for their insensitivity, and around 100 people held a demonstration in Khost.

Afghan MP Mirwais Yasini said: “To have a verse of the Koran on something you kick with your foot would be an insult in any Muslim country around the world.”

A spokeswoman for the US forces in Afghanistan said they made “significant efforts to work with local leaders, mullahs and elders to respect their culture” and distributing the footballs was an effort to give a gift the Afghan children would enjoy.

Instead of taking Allah’s name off its flag, Saudi Arabia is whining about football manufacturers putting the flag on its balls. But do you have any doubt in your minds that those manufacturers would be damned by the Islamophobe card-playing rabble-rousers if they purposely left the Allah-bearing flag off its balls?

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Military officials, who did nothing wrong, can’t apologize fast enough:

Sgt. Dean Welch, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said Friday’s “distribution of soccer balls was done in the spirit of goodwill, something that we hoped would bring Afghan children some enjoyment.”

“We regret any disturbance that was caused in this case,” he said. “If we hurt one person, that is one too many.”

Ridiculous groveling. Robert Spencer predicted the predictable about these blasphemous balls back in May 2006. LGF weighs in on the Dreaded Balls of Blasphemy.

Perhaps we should put this Arabic script on the next supply of soccer balls: